The extraordinary history of ordinary mirror begins in distant past, when prehistoric man, looking at the flat surface of water, realized that the person looking at him with terrified eyes is not a mysterious underwater inhabitant, but merely his own reflection.
The flat surface intended for reflecting light or other kind of rays is called “mirror”. The extraordinary history of ordinary mirror begins in distant past, when prehistoric man, looking at the flat surface of water, realized that the person looking at him with terrified eyes is not a mysterious underwater inhabitant, but merely his own reflection. In Greek mythology, for example, Narcissus was so pleased with the beauty of the own reflection that did not even notice how he turned into a flower.
Smooth fragments of mountain crystals and obsidian polished beforehand came to replace “water” mirrors. In 4-3rd centuries BC, mirrors made of copper, bronze, silver and gold took the place of stone mirrors. Metal hand mirrors were known to almost all ancient civilizations, from Egypt and Greece up to India and China.
The prototype of the contemporary mirror has been invented by celibate priest John Peckham. In 1240 he presented a new technology of making mirror, according to which the glass layer was to be covered with a thin layer of lead.
More in the video
